Individual Details
David Rittenhouse
(8 Apr 1732 - 26 Jun 1796)
Events
| Birth | 8 Apr 1732 | Germantown, Pennsylvania |  | ||
| Miscellaneous | Bef 1747 | Germantown, Pennsylvania |  | ||
| Occupation | 1750 | Set up business of a clock and mathematical instrument maker - Germantown, Pennsylvania | |||
| Occupation | 1769 | Settling boundary between NY, NJ, PA, MASS. - Pennsylvania | |||
| Miscellaneous | 3 Jun 1769 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania | | | |
| Miscellaneous | 9 Nov 1769 | Pennsylvania | | ||
| Marriage | 31 Dec 1772 | Pennsylvania - Hannah Jacobs | | | |
| Miscellaneous | 15 Jul 1776 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania | | | |
| Occupation | Bet 1777 and 1789 | Treasure of state of Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania | | ||
| Miscellaneous | 1791 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania | | ||
| Occupation | Bet 1792 and 1795 | Director of the Mint of the United States - Pennsylvania | | ||
| Death | 26 Jun 1796 | Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Pennsylvania | | |
Families
| Spouse | Hannah Jacobs (1735 - 1799) |
| Father | Matthias Rittenhouse (1702 - 1792) |
| Mother | Elizabeth Williams (1705 - 1792) |
| Sibling | Eleanor Rittenhouse (1739 - 1809) |
| Sibling | Benjamin Rittenhouse (1741 - 1825) |
Notes
Miscellaneous
engaged in dutied of the farmMiscellaneous
Observed transit of Venus, as one of the committee of the American Philosophical Society.Miscellaneous
Observed transit of MercuryMarriage
Dear FriendsWhereas Thomas Mendenhale hath removed with his Master David Rittenhousse within the Limits of your Meeting and Requested our Certificate in Order to Join with You We therefore an enquiry made do not find but that his Life and Conversation was in a good Degree Orderly attended our Religious Meetings, clear from Marriage Engagements as far as we find as such we Recommend him to your Christian Care desiring his Welfare and Remain.
Your Living Friends
Signed by Order of our said Meeting By Thos Evans
Miscellaneous
Member if the Constitional Convention.Miscellaneous
Succeeded Benjamin Franklin as president of the American Philosophical SocietyDeath
Remains in grave-yard attached to the Presbyterian church, Pine street, Philadelphia.Astronomer, Inventor. Pioneering the science of Astronomy, he built the first telescope in the United States, introduced cross-hairs on telescope lenses, and constructed orreries (models of planetary motion). During the Revolution, he served on the Council of Safety and in the Pennsylvania Constitution convention. Served as first director of the United States Mint from 1792 to 1795. In 1796 he worked on surveys and commissions that defined the boundaries of the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1779 to 1782. Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square is named for him.
Bio by: RPD2
Endnotes
1. , (: , ), The Pennsylvania German in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783 by Henry Melehior Muhlenberg Richards; Genealogy Pub. Co. Inc 1978; Baltimore MD.
2. , (: , ), The Pennsylvania German in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783 by Henry Melehior Muhlenberg Richards; Genealogy Pub. Co. Inc. (1978) Baltimore MD.
3. John Blair Linn, History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1883). Hereinafter cited as History of Centre and Clinton Counties, PA.
4. Family History Library, Pennsylvania County Marriages 1885 1950, Pennsylvania Compiled Marriage Records 1700-1821 Ancestry.com, David Rittenhouse and Hannah Jacobs, 31 December 1772; Family History Library,, Salt Lake City.
5. Friends of Gwynedd (Philadelphia), Certificates 1756-1783, page 351, image 372 of 470, David Rittenhouse; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2189/40525_1821100519_1806-00373? : viewed 9 November 2018).
6. , (: , ), The Pennsylvania German in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783 by Henry Melehior Muhlenberg Richards, Genealogy Pub. Co. Inc 1978 Baltimore, MD.
7. , (: , ), The Pennsylvania German in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783; by Henry Melehior Muhlenberg Richards; Genealogy Pub. Co. Inc 1978 Baltimore MD.
8. , (: , ), The Pennsylvania German in the Revolutionary War 1775 - 1783; by Henry Melhior Muhlenberg Richards; Genealogy Pub. Co. Inc. (1978) Baltimore MD.
9. Find A Grave, Findagrave.com, database and digital images (http//:www.findagrave.com : viewed 9 November 2018), Memorial 22735 .